Bio
Franc grew up in rural Pennsylvania -- the lovely Bucks County -- the sixth
daughter of a musical dad and an arty, ahead-of-her-time mom. The soundtrack
in the early years included the two 8-tracks that came with their used
station wagon: Creedence and Cabaret. Franc learned each to the note --
Cabaret was funner in front of a mirror but Creedence stuck to her bones.
Big sisters added Beatles, Armatrading and Cocker, Franc studied classical
guitar (no pick!), went through art and acting school (sensible at heart)
and many good boyfriends, played too-personal songs solo in the street and
in clubs, and then started the Franc Graham Band in 1990. The FGB happily
played long hours on low chords to drunk fans in crowded Boston and
Cambridge clubs and recorded some cassettes (cheaper) which are still pretty
good.
The FGB evolved to include some of the best Boston musicians. The band
became known for their low, deep, deceptively basic sound, and recorded It
is Good in 2000 with local greats Jay Bellerose and Paul Bryan sitting in.
This 5-song debut EP packs a very nice punch, drew Indie films to its
soundtracky vibe and compelled Karen Aqua and Ken Field to have Franc sing
on their animation shorts for Sesame Street. Then, Francıs idol (since
before she was famous, ps.), Lucinda Williams got hold of It is Good. She
called Franc ("Hi, Franc, this is Lucinda Williams." "No way." "Yeah, it
is." "No way." etc.) and a tour was promised but only lasted for one
ecstatic gig the night before 9/11/01 when the FGB opened for Lucinda on
her Essence Tour. Lucinda referred to herself as a "Franc Graham convert."
The sky fell in the am and all bets were off.
Franc was bent but not broke, as Mark Sandman put it, and went back to the
Strat, committed to music staying fun and right. She pounded out the deep
and gorgeous Sugar Tree album, which was met with high praise and featured
special guests Billy Conway (Morphine) and Eric Paull (Clem Snide). Franc
continued weekly shows in Cambridge for several years and shared larger
stages with greats like Odetta and NRBQ. Then, in 2007, married and seven
months pregnant, she took a short break from gigs and soon gave birth to the
love of her life, Dean Graham Fletcher, who, can you blame him, slowed
things down in a beautiful way.
The much anticipated new record, Steady, slated for release in 2010 (with
special guests Bellerose, Bryon, and Paull, again), promises to fix
everything thatıs wrong. Still unlike most else, Steady is lowdown, lowbrow,
bedrock, backporch, and steady.